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7/25/2019 Use Hot Potatoes

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A Step-by-Step Guide to getting started with Hot PotatoesHot Potatoes Software: http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/hotpot/

Andrew Balaa

!b"ectives: To put together a short cycle of exercises linked together based on the

topic of animals. Examples here are in French, but feel free to choose your own

language!

#nstructions

Before you begin work you will need to create a Folder called Anials into which you

can sae your work. hen creating a cycle of "ot #otatoes exercises it is importantthat all exercises and any associated pictures, sounds or ideos making up a unit are

contained in one folder. $ suggest that the folder should be on the hard drie of your

computer. $nto the folder that you%e called Anials$ copy the pictures and sounds

from the &nimals folder on the Toolkit '(. )ou are now ready to start work.

%he Hot Potatoes &ront Page:

- 1 -

'reate a short*

answer or multi*

choice +ui

'reate a -umbled*

sentence exercise

'reate a gap*fill

exercise

'reate a match*u exercise

'reate an interactie

crossword

http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/hotpot/

http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/hotpot/



A. 'reating a drag and drop (atch-up )*ercise with pictures and target

language words.

From the "ot #otatoes front page open the /atch application by double clicking the

icon. The screen will look like this:

0. First, insert the title of your first exercise into the title box. 1ext, you need to

2&3E your first exercise into your Anials folder. To do this click the red disk iconindicated aboe, and then sae this first exercise as Anials+. $t is helpful for you

to call all exercises in a series by the same name with a different number at the end.

1ow you are ready to create the exercise. e want to hae animal pictures on the

left of the screen, and the target language words -umbled on the right.

- 2 -

4ocate the Anials folder

Enter the filename &nimals0

5. 2ae using the red diskicon.

0. $nsert the title of your

page here, e.g. &nimaux



5. #lace the cursor in the left hand box next to number 0. From the menu bar at

the top of the /atch screen, select #nsert, then Picture, then Picture fro

local file, as shown below.

2ince you hae already saed your exercise in the correct folder, the "ot #otatoes

programme should automatically look in the same folder for any pictures. )ou should

therefore see the picture files you saed into the folder earlier. $f not you will need

to find the &nimals folder on your hard disk.

2elect the file you wish to hae as your first picture. )ou will then be able to preiew

the picture and change its sie if you wish to.

- 3 -

'lick the file to select it.

'lick 6pen to iew it.



- 4 -

7se this if you wish to make the picturebigger or smaller. #ractice will teach you

how big to make pictures. $n this case,

decrease the 088 9height here to ;<. $f

the =/aintain &spect ratio> box is ticked,

the picture will simply get smaller, with the

same ratios. For this exercise, decrease

the 088 alue to ;< each time 9height or

width, so that all the pictures are a little

smaller and the same sie as each other.

here on the screen do you

want the picture? For this

exercise you can leae this

section blank.

4ink 7@4: $n this box you should simply see the name of the picture file. This tells the

computer to look for the picture called bird*t.gif in the same folder as the exercise,

and insert it into the exercise. $f there is anything before the filename, such as thename of the folder 9e.g. animalsAbird*t.gif, delete the extra bit!



6nce you are happy with the picture, click 6. )ou will now see what is called =html

code> in the /atch box. This tells the computer what to do, so don%t worry! )ou

won%t see the picture of the animal until you create the exercise page later. 1owinsert the target language word into the box on the right. This is what the pupil will

hae to match to the picture.

C. @epeat step 5 aboe for the other D animals in this first exercise.

D. The next important stage is to configure the exercise, deciding how it will look to

the pupil. 'lick the 'onfiguration button shown in the image below.

There are seeral parts to the configuration section. Follow each of the instructions

on the next pages to complete them. ork through each =tab>, and then press 6 at

the E1(.

- 5 -

"T/4 'ode

$nsert the target language

word here, eg un oiseau



- 6 -

%itles / #nstructions

Enter a subtitle here if

you want one.

$nsert your instructions

to the pupil here, e.g.

Troue les paires!

$nsert here what youwant the pupil to read

when the exercise is

correctly completed.

$nsert here what you

want the pupil to read if

there are mistakes when

the exercise is checked.

Propts / &eedbac,



- 7 -

Buttons

$nsert here the wordingfor the ='heck &nswer>

button 9tar et lan ua e?

$nsert here the wording

for the 1ext Exercise

button 9target language?.

The pupil will need to

click this to moe on when

finished.

e*t )*ercise 0: %his bit is

iportant. $t tells the computer

the name of the next exercise in

the cycle. )ou%ll need to decide what

this is going to be at this point. For

this cycle it will be Anials1.htThe =.ht2 must be added each

time to the file name. $t tells the

computer to look for a .htm file,

which is the $nternet format the

exercises are saed in, as opposed

to a ord file 9.doc or a #ower#oint

file 9.ppt, for example.

$ndex: $t is useful to

hae an index page for

each unit. $t is easiest

to call this $ndex.htm

for each unit. Fill in

the boxes as shownhere each tie, and

we%ll create an $ndex

page later, once we%e

finished the cycle.

The Back Button

does what it

suggests allows

the pupil to go

back to the last

exercise. 'heckthe box if you

want this to be

possible. $t

doesn%t always

work perfectly,

so $ usually leae

it out.



The remaining three =tabs> do not apply to this exercise so you can ignore them. 'lick

=6> to complete your configuration.

<. )ou are now ready to create your first exercise. )ou now need to 2&3E theexercise twice. The first sae will sae the 3(atch file with all the information

you%e entered. )ou will need this in case you want to make any alterations later. The

second sae will create and sae the web page that the pupil will see and use.

- 8 -

This page allows you to

change the colours of the

different parts of the

page. By clicking each

=rainbow> you can select a

colour. This will appear in

the preiew section on

the left so you can see

what it looks like straightaway. &lter the

appearance of the page to

suit your preferences.

Appearance

'lick the red disk again to sae

the /atch File. (oing this will

automatically sae the file.

1ow sae the web page. There

are two ways to do this using

the =spider%s web> buttons.

9$gnore any spider%s webs with 4

on them use 5 only The right

hand one will create a drag and

drop exercise the left hand one

will create an exercise with a

drop down menu to select theanswer from. 'lick the right

hand button for this exercise.



1ow click 2ae.

"ot #otatoes will tell you that it has created the file. Tell it 6, then select =3iew

the exercise in my browser> to see your exercise.

"opefully it should look something like this:

- 9 -

'heck that the file is

being saed into your

Anials folder

Enter the name of the file. This

should be the 2&/E as the

/atch =creation> file, i.e.

&nimals0. This is important as if

you need to edit a file at a later

date, it is easier to find thecreation file if it has the same

name as the exercise file.



2o now you%e created your ery first interactie exercise using the "ot #otatoes

#rogramme. The process may hae seemed Guite long, but the good news is that you

hae now coered most of the basics needed across all the =#otatoes>.

)ou can go back into the /atch screen to make any amendments if you need to. For

example if the pictures are too big, delete the html code where you inserted it in the

box and re*insert the picture, changing the sie. 2hould you spot a smelling pistake

you can simply amend it, and then resae the page match file first, then web page.

The left hand =spider%s web>, mentioned aboe, will create the same exercise but

looking like this:

This can be useful if you hae too many pictures to fit on one drag and drop page. $t

also has many other useful applications in different languages exercises. $t%s all about

imagination how can you use the application to suit your task.

6ur web site * www.languagesonline.org.uk has all sorts of exercises using all the "ot

#otatoes applications.

- 10 -

http://www.languagesonline.org.uk/




B. 'reating a (ulti-choice e*ercise using 3B'

1ow let%s moe on to exercise two in our cycle. This is going to be a multi*choiceexercise where the pupil will hae to identify and click the correct word from a list

of four to identify the animal in the picture.

From the "ot #otatoes Front #age, click the B' #otato.

)ou are now ready to input the exercise.

- 11 -

Firstly, type in the title

of your exercise, e.g.

+u%est*ce Gue c%est?

1ext, sae your B' file

using the red disk. This

exercise will be called

&nimals5, and should be

saed in the &nimals folder

too. hen you open the

&nimals folder you will not

see any files as it is only

showing B' files, of which

there are, as yet, none.

This is the =Guestion field>

where you input the

Guestion. )ou%re going touse a picture here though.

#lace the cursor in this

box, then insert a picture,

in the same way as before,

either using $nsert A

#icture A #icture from local

file, or using the =$nsert

#icture from local file>

button.



6nce you%e entered the exercise, you need to configure it, in the same way as

before. 'heck back to section 6 aboe if you need a reminder of how to do this. Thescreens to work through are essentially the same as in /atch. (on%t forget that the

next exercise in your cycle will be called Anials7.ht. The one extra screen you

need to look at is the =6ther> tab:

- 12 -

1ext input the four

possible answers, one right,

three wrong.

)ou need to tell the

computer which is the

correct answer by tickingthe box next to the

correct one.

Enter as many pictures and sets of possible answers as you wish

by working through the Guestions.

This is fairly obious. Tick

the boxes you want to be

actie in your page.



1ow you are ready to sae the second exercise in your cycle.

6nce you%e saed it you can iew it. $t should look something like this:

- 13 -

&s before, you need to do

two saes the 3B' file,

plus the web page file.

9/ake sure you click the

3ersion H spider%s web!This exercise is called

&nimals5



$t is a good idea at this point to open up Exercise 0 in the cycle and check that by

clicking the =1ext Exercise> button, you do actually moe onto the next exercise. $f

not, check that you hae correctly written the name of the 1ext Exercise file, with.ht in the box in the buttons configuration screen.

'. 'reating a e-ordering e*ercise using 3(i*

1ext, let%s hae a look at the /ix potato. This allows us to create -umbled

sentences, where the pupil has to put the parts of the sentence back into the correct

order. eeping it simple and remaining with your animals, you can use this potato to

produce an exercise where the pupil has to put < animals into alphabetical order.

From the "ot #otatoes front page, open the /ix potato.

- 14 -


of your exercise, e.g.

'inG &nimaux

1ext, sae your /ix file



&nimalsC, and should be


too. hen you open the

&nimals folder you will not

see any files as it is onlyshowing /ix files, of which

there are, as yet, none.

1ext Exercise button



The next stage is the configuration. The screens are the same as before. (on%t

forget that the 1ext Exercise will be called Anials6.ht. The only exception is

shown below:

6nce completed you are ready to sae both the /ix file and the eb page in the

normal way.

- 15 -

$n the main 2entence

box, type the list of

animals in the correct

order, each one

separated by a line.

$n the alternate sentence

section you can type any

other possibilities, i.e.

different possible wordorder for a sentence. . There

are none in this case, so

ignore this section.

The @estart button

allows the pupil to

restart if he Ashe goes

wrong. )ou might want

to include it, you might

not.



The completed exercise is shown below, drag and drop on the left, =click the word> on

the right.

8. 'reating a short answer 9ui using 3;ui

Three #otatoes down, three to go!

The next exercise in the cycle is going to be a short answer Gui, where the pupil will

see a picture of an animal and will be reGuired to write the word in a box.

From the "ot #otatoes front page, open the +ui #otato.

- 16 -

There are two spider%s

webs again. 9$gnore any

with a < on them The

right hand one will

create a drag and drop,

the left hand one a

=click the word> style

exercise.



- 17 -


of your exercise, e.g.'%est Guel animal?

1ext, sae your +ui file



&nimalsD, and should be


too. hen you open the&nimals folder you will not

see any files as it is only

showing +ui files, of which

there are as yet none.

$n the usual way, insert

a #icture into the

Guestion field.

1ext, insert the correct

answer and any other

possibilities. $t is important

to coer all possibilities so

that the pupil is not told bythe computer that something

is wrong, when it is in fact

right. Thus un poisson, le

poisson and perhaps -ust

poisson will all be acceptable

here.

&s with B', insert more

pictures and answers by

scrolling through.



1ext you%ll need to configure the exercise in the usual way, checking also the =6ther>

tab, as with the B' earlier. The next exercise will be called &nimals<.htm.

6nce you are complete, sae the exercise as &nimalsD.htm and it should look

something like this:

). 'reating a gap fill e*ercise using 3'loe

The next exercise in the cycle is going to be a gap fill exercise where the pupil will be

reGuired to type the animal word into a gap in a sentence.

From the "ot #otatoes front page open the 'loe potato.

- 18 -

Firstly, type in the titleof your exercise, e.g.

4es animaux parlent.

1ext, sae your 'loe file using the

red disk. This exercise will be called

&nimals<, and should be saed in the

&nimals folder too. hen you open the

&nimals folder you will not see any

files as it is only showing 'loe files,

of which there are, as yet, none.



- 19 -

$n the main box, type in your

text, or cut and paste it from

another application. 'hoose the

words you want the pupil to hae

to insert and highlight it. 'lick

the gap button at the bottom of

the screen.

)ou can insert a clue if you wish

to. #robably not necessary here.

)ou can also insert alternaties, if

appropriate, if more than one

word will fit in the gap. #erhaps

=chienne> would be another

possible word in my example here,although in reality the pupil

probably won%t know that word!

)ou might like to isit this website

which gies you the animal sounds in

different languages to make the taska little more interesting:

www.georgetown.eduAfacultyAballcAanimalsA



'onfiguration time again. The next and final exercise will be called &nimalsH.htm. The

main exception to the screens is shown below:

To make the page a bit brighter, we can insert a picture. &lternatiely if you want to

include a pictorial clue, you can add a picture at the beginning of each line. #lace the

cursor at the beginning of the first line of the text. 1ow insert a picture in the usualway.

1ow you can sae the exercise in the usual way, remembering to sae twice.

- 20 -

These two boxes tick

boxes are fairly

obious. $f you want to

gie the pupil a list of

the words to be

inserted to make the

task easier, or because

you are creating a textreconstruction task,

tick the top box. For

case sensitie checking,

tick the bottom box.

This time this section

becomes releant. $t

tells the computer

where on the page to

put the picture. 7se

either 4eft or @ight.



The finished product should look something like this:

&. 'reating an #nteractive 'rossword using 3'ross

&nd now for the final exercise in this cycle. 4et%s create an interactie crossword topractise the words we%e used in the cycle.

From the "ot #otatoes front page, open the 'ross potato. This is a wonderful

feature that allows you to produce a crossword in a matter of minutes, and also gies

you the opportunity to produce a printable ersion too!

- 21 -

'lick the $nsert words

button to enter the

words for the

crossword.



The programme will now attempt to fit as many words into the grid as possible.

- 22 -

Enter a list of the

words here, one per

line, checking spelling

ery carefully!

6nce finished, click

=/ake the Irid>

(ecide how big you

want the grid to be.

The smaller the grid,

the harder it will be toet a lot of words in.

1ow it is time to add

the clues. 'lick the

button.

Enter the Title of the

crossword here

E.g. 4es &nimaux



1ext, you need to configure you exercise in the usual way. 2ince this is the last in

our cycle, it is a good idea to link it back to the first one to create a full cycle. To do

this, in the next exercise link section on the buttons page, write Anials+.ht.

Finally, sae your exercise, remembering to sae the 'ross file and the web page.

- 23 -

2elect a word, and then enterthe clue for that word in the

box at the bottom of the

section. Then click =6>.

@e eat for all the words.

The printer button

creates a page that you

can print to create a

worksheet.

The spider%s web

creates the interactieweb page.



The finished page should look like this:

&nd there you hae a cycle of six exercises. "opefully, by clicking the 1ext Exercise

button you should be able to go through all six.$ hae only demonstrated ery simple ersions of what can be done with each "ot

#otato application. The programme has so much more potential, and in my experience

is limited only by the imagination and creatiity of the user. #ractice and

experimentation are the best ways to find out -ust what you can do.

G. 'reating a nit #nde* Page

$ find that it is useful to include an $ndex page with each unit that $ write. $f a pupil

does not finish a cycle in one session they can easily begin where they left off next

time. $t also allows users to see what is in a cycle.

/icrosoft ord can be used to create an online index page, in the absence of a more

powerful web editor, such as Front#age or (reamweaer for example.

The idea of an $ndex page is to hae one page with links to all the exercises so that

any can be accessed -ust like the index at the beginning or end of a book tells you

which page to go to for what you are looking for.

- 24 -



$n ord, create a list of the exercises in your cycle:

1ow sae the file into your &nimals folder:

- 25 -

)ou need to ensure that

you are saing the file

as a web page and 16T

as a word document.

1ext to Save as %ype,

select eb #age or

.ht file.

The filename will be

#nde* as that is what

you hae called it in

each of the "ot #otato

exercises you%e

already created.

'lick 2ae to

create the file.



1ow you need to create the hyperlinks which will make your index page work.

Back on the page, highlight the first exercise name. 9&nimals0 $f your $nsert"yperlink dialogue box does not show the animals folder, you will need to locate it on

your hard drie. 7se this button.

hen you return to the word page, you should find that the text you selected has

changes to blue and is now underlined. This indicates that it is a hyperlink. @epeat

the aboe with the other < links.

1ow re*sae your page. $f you now hae a look at one of your &nimals exercises, you

should find that by clicking the $ndex button at the top of the screen, you can iew

the index and -ump straight to another exercise, and naigate around your unit.

- 26 -

"ighlight the text.

ord should

automatically look

in the &nimals

folder, since that

is where the $ndex

file is saed too.

From the list

select &nimals0.

)ou%ll notice that

there are 5

&nimals0 one is a

web page and one is

your /atch file.

/ake sure you

select the right

one! 9the one with

6nce selected, the filename should

appear here: $t should say &nimals0.htm 'lick 6 to create

the hyperlink.

'lick the "yperlink

button



$f you wish to make your index page look more interesting you can do all sorts of

things to it, such as change the background colour:

&nd there you hae it $ hope!

The "ot #otatoes programme is really not complicated. $t does reGuire the

understanding of a few basic principles and ideas, but once you%e got them, you are

free to use the programme to create all manner of exercises with unending ariety

and diersity. $t%s all about experimenting and playing around to see what you can

create, or how you can achiee what you hae in your mind%s eye.

For more ideas, please isit our website www.languagesonline.org.uk to see how we

use the "ot #otatoes #rogramme. There is ery little on the entire website that has

not been created using one of the six programmes outlined aboe.

$ hope you%ll feel inspired to hae a go at using the "ot #otatoes programme with your

own pupils. $ really do beliee, based on our experience, that the effort put in is well

worth it.

Iood luck!

&ndrew Balaam

'lick Format.

'lick Background.

2elect a colour.



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